poetry

Fifty years ago this month, a protest in Detroit turned into a riot, which turned into five days of violence that left dozens dead, thousands arrested and a city engulfed in flames. The poem "They Feed They Lion" chronicles the…

Tracy K. Smith, a writer and teacher, is taking on a very public role as the nation's poet laureate. Jeffrey Brown sits down with Smith to discuss how language can be a tool of revelation, her reflections on race in…

More than 50 people were shot during the holiday weekend in Chicago. Often, when we talk about the city — and its school system — we hear about too much violence and too little money. Jeffrey Brown talks to poet…